Harrow.



J.- WYSS.

HARROW.

- APPLIUATION FILED MAR. 10, 1913.

1,072,292. 2 'Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

m Ibimmm /0 WITNESSES (Tom W9 'NvENTOR) BY {V r V ATTORNEY J. WYSS.

'HARROW.

APPLIGATIOI I FILED MAR.10, 1913. 72 292 Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

WITNESSES JOHN WYSS, or ironnsrowlv, cononano.

minnow. 7

Application filed March 10, .1913. Serial in. 753,378.

To all "whom-2'15 may concern:

Be it' known that I, J OHN Wrss, a citizen of the United States, residing at Joh'nstown, in the county of Weld and State of Colorado, have invented a new and useful -Harrow,'of which the following is'a specification,

The invention relates to improvements in harrows.

When immediately after planting rain falls and is followed by Warm weather,,the surface of the ground crusts and the natural healthy development of the young plants is materially interfered with. Little'beet and other plants, which at this stage are exceedingly tender and weak, curl up under such a crust and die. Also through this crust-. ing of the earth, air and sunshine are entirely shut oif from the soil below the crust and the growth of the plants from this cause is very materially affected. This evil, viz., the crusting of the soil, has been largely I dealt with by the use of rollers and h arrows,

and while much of a crop is thereby saved many plants are crushed by rollers or torn out by harrows.

The object of the present invention is to provide a harrow or cultivator, designed particularly for breaking the crust around young and tender plants, and adapted to straddle a lurality of rows, and capable of effectively breaking the crust without disturbing the plants.

' It is alsoan object of the invention to provide a machine of this character, which will leave the crust unbroken between the rows to enable such crust to be utilized for preventing the growth of weeds and other objectionable vegetation.

A further object of the inventiornis to provi dea" harrow"ofbriisfibreaking implement," adapted to be constructed in various sizes to enable itto operate on any desired number of rows and to meet the requirements and suit diii'erent conditions to permit it to be advantas eously employed either by the large farmer, or the small truck gardener.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction and novel combination of parts hereinafter fully described,illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of construction, withways of spacin sired-number of pairs sacrificing any of the advantages 0 the invention. a

In the drawings :-Figure I is a plan view of a crust breaking harrgw, constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the harrow. *ig. 4: is a transverse sectional view through onepair of crust breaking wheels Fig. 5 is ania rammatic' View, illustrating several diderent the crust breaking wheels.

Fig. 6 is an en arged detail view partly in section, illustrating, another form of the crust breaking wheels. v

Like numerals of referencedesignate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings. i

In the accompanying drawings in which is illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention, 1-1 designate crust breaking Specification of'Letters Patent. I 1913;; a

in the sco-pe of the claims,may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or wheels arranged in pairs and mounted on a transverse shaft 2, which is journaled in suitable bearings 3 of depending standards 4: of a harrow or cultivator arms 5.

The harrow or cultivator frame 5, which is equipped with a suitable tongue or pole 6., may beof any desired construction, and as the particular form or construction thereof does not constitute a portion of the present invention, further description thereof is deemed unnecessary. n

The cultivator o'rlharrow is-designed for use for breakin the crust around all kinds of plants, whic are arranged in rows, and for breakin the crust at each side of the rows, the w eels 1 are arranged in pairs and are adapted to straddle the rows. The transverse shaft may be equipped with any deof wheels, which are secured at proper spaccdpoints to suit'the width oftherows by adjustable set collars 7 arranged on'the shaftsat the outer sides of each pair of wheels 1 and adapted to enable the pairs of wheels to be arranged to suit the dierent spacing of therows of different crop lantings.

. Each crust reaking wheel, which is constructed of cast. iron orlother suitable material, isprovided at its peripheral edge] with a circumferential series of projecting teeth 8, preferably arrangedwitht eir points approximately two vinches apart. These teeth .,which are designed to-be approximately one half an inch thick, are about-fan inch in length" and are tapered to a rather sharp edge.

The body of the wheel 1 increases in'thickness at one side' face from the periphery to the center of the wheel, and at that side it formsa tapered projecting portion or enlargement 9, adaptedto fit against thetapere'd enlargement of theadjacent coacting wheel, the two enlargements forming an intervening inwardly taperedplant receiving space '10 to enable the wheels to straddle a row and travel at opposite sides thereof and break thecrust at each side of the row without disturbing the plants thereof The body of the wheel maybe either solid, as shown, or spoked, and it is provided at its outer side with an annular horizontally projecting rim or flange 11, arranged to run on the ground and adapted to prevent the wheel from sinking too deeply into the same when the soil is either too light or too Wet.

. The outwardly projecting annular flange 0r rim, which limits the penetration-of the eripheral portion of the wheel, is prefera ly provided with transverse corrugations 12, extending entirely across the rim in paral lelism with the axis of the wheel, and adapted to break or pulverize the crust a suitable distance at each sideof the row. The crust is left unbroken or intact between the spaced pairs of wheels to enable it to be utilized for preventing the growth of weeds and grass, The unbroken crust in the spaces between the rows has been found exceedingly effective for smothering such undesirablejvegetation. The outerside face;13

of the wheel from which the flange or rim 11 projects is flat, and the said annular rim may be made of any width so as to project the desired distance from the outer side of the wheel to pulverize the crust over the .desired area. As the plants increase in size,

the members of each pair of wheels may be spaced apart, as illustrated at the left hand side'of Fig. 5 of the drawings, and they are also susceptible of being arranged with one or two flanges between the peripheral projecting teeth, as illustrated at the right hand side of Fig. 5, and at the center thereofwhen it is desiredto provide a harrow for general harrow work and not for straddling the rows of plants undeifcultivation.

In Fig.- 6 of the drawings illustrated another form of the invention, in which the crust breaking' wheel 14 is provided with spokes 15, extending from the hub 16 to the rim 17 of the wheel. The peripheral ,projecting toothed portion '.18 has a flat outer side face and is tapered-to present an angularlydisposed inner face 19. The an-.

' nular flange orrim 171which extends horizontally from the flat face 18, is designed to be provided with transverse corrugations 20, extending ent relyvacross the rim and idescribed including wheels provided with peripheral teeth and adapted to be arranged to straddle a row of plants and provided with projecting annular rims or flanges having exterior corrugations arranged to pulverize the crust.

2. A crust breaking harrow of the class described including wheels provided with peripheral teeth and adapted to be arranged to straddle the rows of plants and provided with projecting annular rims or flanges having transverse corrugations extending entirely across therims or flanges in substantial parallelism. with the axis of the wheels.

3. A crust breaking harrow of the class described including a pair of contiguous wheels having at their outer faces crust breaking means and provided at their 1nner faces with enlargements formed by tapering the body portions Ofthe wheels in thickness from the center outwardly, said enlargementsbe'ing arranged opposite each other and forming a relatively narrow tapering space between them to enable the wheels to straddle a row of young plants.

4. A crust-breaking harrow of the class described including a wheelcomprising a body portion having a flat side face and tapered in thickness from the center to theperiphery to-form a laterally projecting ta- .pering enlargement 'at the opposite side ace adapted to be arranged oppos te the tapered portionof a similar wheel to form an intervening'inwardly 'ti ceiving space, said wh l eing provided with peripheral teeth fandhavi'ng an annular flange or rim extending from the flat faceof the wheel and arranged to limitthe v penetration of the wheel.

5. A crustbreakingharrow of the class described including a wheel comprising a body portion having a flat sidefa ce and ta-" pered 1n thickness from the center' to the periphery to form a laterally projecting tapering enlargement at he opposite side face adapted to be arranged opposite the tapered portion of a similar wheel to form an intervening inwardly tapered plant re ceiving space, said wheel being provided with peripheral teeth and having an annular flange orrim extending from the-flat" face of the wheel and arran ed to limit the rovided with penetration of the wheel an exterior corrugations arrange "to pulverize the crust.

6. A crust breaking harrow wheel having a hub provided with an annular rim extend ing from the side of the wheel at an intermediate point between the periphery and the hub of the Wh'elafld located adjacent I i to the said periphery and having exterior corru g ations arranged to pulverize the crust.

vided With an annular rim extending from i the side of the Wheel at an intermediate point between the periphery and the hub of the Wheel and located adjacent the-said periphery and having transversely disposed corrngationsiextending entirely across its 7. A crust breaking harrow wheel-procuter face and arranged to pulverize the 10 crust.

In testimony, that I claim the foregolng' as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

. JOHNWYSS.-

Witnesses: T. H.'H1LL H. A. CLINGENPEEL.

Coples ot this patent may be obtained fer five cents each; bfaddressing the Commissioner of Patenfi,

Washington, D. G. I t I 

